2015 SSP 37th Annual Meeting
Keynote: Jennifer Lawton
Reflections on Leadership and Success
Jennifer Lawton, executive and serial entrepreneur, will reflect on the factors that have led to her career success. From founding and running top tech companies to owning and managing an independent bookstore chain, Lawton has a wide base of experience from which to share advice and observations. In her most recent role, Lawton was at the vanguard of innovation and disruptive technology, as three-dimensional desktop printing company MakerBot rose to the fore of consumer 3-D printing. She leveraged her own life experience as a successful entrepreneur to help grow the company, market it, and establish retail outlets, making 3-D printing a reality for the consumer. As with any success story, there were challenges to be overcome, and it is from this journey that Lawton will share the lessons she learned along the way.
Speakers
In 1991, Lawton co-founded Net Daemons Associates (NDA), an information technology consulting firm. With Lawton as CEO, NDA was recognized on the 1998 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing privately held U.S. companies, and on the Deloitte and Touche Fast 50 and Fast 500 lists for 1997 and 1998. In 1999, Net Daemons was acquired by Interliant Inc. (formerly Sage Networks), where Lawton served as a senior vice president. She later worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence with Softbank and Mobius Venture Capital.
In 2001, Lawton left the corporate world to become the owner of the independent bookstores Just Books and Just Books, Too, as well as Arcadia CafE in Old Greenwich, Conn. After ten years running successful retail ventures, Jenny re-entered the business scene, serving as COO for Rockin Water and RAM Scientific, and SVP Operations for Mercury Solar Systems. She is currently a board member of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.